A Children's Tale of Woe and Struggle Pt 1
by JackThePokemonTrainer
Summary: Yes, I know, cliché title. Although it rolls off the tongue. Prompt #1 which I will turn into a mini-series. They are backstories (front stories?) for all my Future Children OCs. I will completely disregard everything from the Future Past DLC, as that is a different world. This will match up rather well with Lucina's Struggles and may even drop a few hints. I suggest you read.
1. Chapter 1

CHRISTIAN'S POV

Well, all I can say is, we're certainly in a bit of a tum-tigger. Currently I'm running through a forest of bare trees while fireballs rain overhead and I fought off the vast armies of the undead with a sharp wooden stick. I think it would be best if I backed up a bit, yeah?

"You sure its only a little further, Morgan?" I said, panting. Morgan turned back to face me and grinned. "Just a bit farther, Christian!" she sang, and charged through the undergrowth at a run. I sighed. "Father's coat is going to get filthy and I'm going to be mad!" I yelled. However, my words fell on deaf ears as I jogged to keep up with my sister.

After a few more (try 45) minutes of jogging, we finally reached the top of a large hill. What I saw _almost _made up for the hour and a half I spent running. A few miles in front of us was Castle Ylisse, which looked spectacular from the viewpoint we were on. A little closer at the base of the hill was Ylisstol, now a mere collection of flickering firelight as the Sun began to set.

Morgan nodded. "Impressive, right?" she said, flourishing. I laughed. "Not very tactically sound though." I said, mockingly wagging my finger. "From this angle a ballista could hit you dead in the chest from the surrounding woods and-" "-And you wouldn't know until you had a bolt in your chest." Morgan finished. "But, if they're so low to the ground they wouldn't be able to tell if I was wearing thick armor or not so they might just give away their location by having a bolt bounce off my breastplate!"

I rolled my eyes. "But, Morgan, you aren't wearing any armor at all, and even from that low they would be able to see that nothing was protecting your face." I countered. "Well, my face would be a miniscule target to fit from 300 feet in the air." She shot back. "Not if the assassin is skilled enough. Plus they could cripple or frighten you by shooting at your legs or the ground in front of you before safely relocating to another position. Plus, even with a tome you would never be able to return fire." I said triumphantly.

Morgan stomped her foot into the ground angrily. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She muttered. Then her eyes lit up. "Unless…" she pulled an Arcfire tome from her robe. I chuckled. "Go right ahead, Morgan." She flipped open the tome and began to chant.

A large jet of fire materialized in the air in front of her and shot out for the castle, lighting up the night like a beacon. As it began to die, I turned triumphantly to Morgan. "See, I told you it wouldn't-" My last words were drowned out by an eardrum-shattering explosion. Morgan dropped her tome out of shock as the forest began to catch fire and more blasts ripped through the air.

The land itself was torn apart by the mysterious explosions that ensued. The ground began to tremble lightly and I knew we were not safe so high in the air. "Morgan we better go." I said, trying to keep my voice steady. However, Morgan looked mortified. "D-did I do that?" She asked worriedly.

I shook my head hurriedly. "Of course not it must have been…. Been…." However, I could not think of any logical reason as to how the fire had broken out or the explosions started. It definitely was not Morgan; she was shaky with tomes and couldn't send spells for more than 15 feet or so without them fizzling to a stop. Plus, Arcfire never caused explosions.

I saw an orange ball of fire appear in the air, growing at an incredibly fast rate. It took my mind a second to realize what was happening. "MORGAN GET DOWN!" I yelled, and without waiting for a response I tackled her, and before I knew it we were free falling… I had shoved us both over the edge.

On a lighter note, we did not get hit by the large fireball, which had whizzed through the air where we had been roughly five seconds ago. But it wouldn't really matter if I saved Morgan if we both plummeted to our deaths right here. Quickly, with one hand on Morgan, I unsheathed my sword and jammed it into the hillside.

The good news: we stopped. The bad news: it wasn't for very long.

As we were abruptly stopped by my sword, a sharp jolt ran up my arm, causing me to gasp in pain and release the sword, probably dislocating my shoulder in the progress. Luckily, we were only three feet up from the top of a tree, which we ungracefully fell through repeatedly catching ourselves on a multitude of branches that allowed us a minute of respite before sending us tumbling with a SNAP!

Finally, after perhaps the most torturous minutes of my life, we hit the ground, which was littered with decaying pine needles. However, to make a clever joke in a time we couldn't afford one, we weren't out of the woods yet. "Morgan, you ok?" I asked between breaths.

She nodded and we both stood up. She must have noticed me wince. "Are you ok, Christian?" she asked, inspecting my shoulder. I shrugged, which caused an intense bout of pain. Then, Morgan pulled a staff from her belt. "Morgan I don't think you should-" I winced as Morgan tapped the staff to my shoulder. Morgan had only started using the stave last week after a crash course from Aunt Lissa and I wasn't entirely confident in her abilities to- "Hey… the pain is gone!" I said, genuinely surprised. Morgan smirked. "Well, what did you expect? For me to break your other shoulder?"

"Yes." I said, completely honest. Morgan rolled her eyes. "Ok," she said. "Let's crash a party!" She said, and unsheathed her sword.

**Jack's Corner**

A bit of insight into Christian's past! Enjoy, not very long I know. OCs are mine! Feel free to use them **with permission **but I doubt anyone would want to. Talk to the respective owners of my five OC submittants for the rights to Nick Mal'rai Kir'yu Alexis Serena or Joshua. Thanks


	2. Chapter 2

KIR'YU'S POV

"Kiy-Yu! Kiy-Yu!" I looked up wearily from my slumped over position on the throne I was sitting on. "What is it Mal'rai?" My seven year old younger sister burst into the throne room, panting. She still had pronouncing my name (and her own) so she referred to me as 'Kiy-yu'. However, Mal'rai seemed deeply troubled as she entered the room.

"Monsters! There are monsters approaching Chon'sin, Kiy-yu!" she said hurriedly. I sighed. "Honestly, Mal'rai, I'm only two years older and yet I never did this at your age!" I said, a little more sharply than intended. Mal'rai stomped her feet on the soft red carpet. "I'm telling the truth, Kiy-yu!" She said desperately. "Come out of the hall for once and _see!" _

I glared at her. "No, Mal'rai. Mother entrusted the care of Chon'sin until-" my voice caught for a minute. "-Until she returns." Mal'rai's lower lip quivered. A tear fell from her left eye. "Y-you're just a jerk Kir'yu!" she cried, and ran out of the room.

It took me an hour to realize she had called me by my correct name.

However, I was spared the time to think about what that might mean as Ichijou, the captain of the royal guard, burst in panting just like Mal'rai. His light armor that all the warriors of Chon'sin wore was shredded with what appeared to be claw marks, and he was bleeding from several places on his arms.

I stood up in shock. "Ichijou! Pray tell what happened!" Ichijou gulped for air a few times before uttering the five words I least expected. "M-monsters, sire! In Chon'sin!" My eyes widened. "Fie… Tell me this is a lie, Ichijou!" Ichijou stared at the carpet. "That I could, milord, but that would be false." I walked over to the weary captain. "You will rest and recuperate." I said firmly. "You will only end up dead if you keep fighting. You have served Chon'sin valiantly."

Ichijou looked up, as if to argue, but nodded wearily. "Is it time to retrieve the weapons your ancestors bore for so many years?" he asked in a hushed voice. I nodded. "It is time to awaken Amatsu and Ragnell."

Twenty minutes later, I was standing just outside the castle gate of Chon'sin, fully equipped in my armor with the two swords of legend hanging at my belt. I was ready to save my kingdom. Almost. "Kir'yu, milord! Wait!" I stiffened as an old woman ran out of the castle with a speed beyond her years.

"Do not try and stop me, Chitoge." I said genuinely. The woman had tears in her eyes. "B-but sire, you are only ten. You are not ready for combat!" I looked at her gravely. "When I became king in my Mother's absence I swore to keep this kingdom safe even at the cost of my life. I am simply fulfilling that oath." Chitoge nodded, embraced me quickly, and dashed back into the castle before she burst into tears.

Solemnly, I set off to find my sister. After an hour of walking through my homeland, I encountered her. She was brandishing a pointed stick at a… at a _thing. _It was roughly six feet tall, outstripping me by a solid 1 ½ feet. Its skin was an ashen gray and it was clad with almost no armor, save for shoulder pads and a belt which it hung its weapons. Its gleaming red eyes mirrored Mal'rai's fright. I wasn't about to let my sister be killed.

"DIE, BEAST FROM THE SEVEN HELLS!" I screamed, and ran full-pelt at the monstrosity with Amatsu in my hands, gleaming in the afternoon light. The creature turned as I stabbed it directly through the chest, Amatsu poking out through its back. From behind me, Mal'rai gasped in wonder.

Normally, such a blow would be fatal. However, the beast looked down at me- almost with contempt- and punches me in the chest. Shocked, I was flung like a ragdoll, leaving Amatsu behind inside the creature. It growled in an unearthly way and turned its attention back to my little sister.

"Mal'rai, CATCH!" I called desperately, and threw the sheathed Ragnell to her. With fumbling hands, my sister caught the weapon and unsheathed it. Ragnell was a one0handed sword, but she struggled to hold it with both hands. _That's it- we're dead. Oh lord Naga; please spare my sister over myself if necessary._

However, the gods above decided we would crawl through life a bit longer. "GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY!" Mal'rai screeched, and leapt into the air and swung the sword like a bat, cutting the monster's head clean off. Mal'rai landed on the ground, panting, as the creature dissolved into purple miasma.

"K-Kiy-yu what were those things?" she said weakly. I looked from her to the dissolving evil thing. "I honestly don't know, Mal'rai. But the important thing is that you're safe." I walked over and sheathed Amatsu, then handed her a strap so she could sheath Ragnell on her back.

"That was pretty good swordplay." I said, nudging her. "Where'd you pick that up?" She grinned coyly. "I asked Ichijou to teach me." I laughed and helped her apply the sheath. "At any rate, we need to go to Ylisse. These beings may turn into a threat, and we will need allies."

Mal'rai frowned. "But Roseanne and Valm are bunches closer!" I sighed. "You know it doesn't work like that. That as- I mean idiot Virion wouldn't help for free and Valm isn't exactly neighborly. The Exalt will be sure to help us- she's a nice woman who would never turn anyone down who was in need.

Mal'rai nodded- I could see her filing the information away. "So, how are we gonna get across the water?" I laughed. "We have the one perk of inheriting the throne of Chon'sin, don't we? Free travel!" Mal'rai laughed too, but I think she was a little young to get the joke.

"We should hurry. They may follow us there."

**Jack's Corner**

If you haven't guess already, all the 'paired children' as I call them (Mal'rai and her brother, Serena and her sister, Christian and his sister, Yes Morgan gets a POV) will all have their separate chapters even though they are traveling together. My critic/friend told me that I didn't really supply enough backstory for these two although the two's backstory was given to me in rich detail by their submittant, so I am happy to give these two a bit more depth in this prompt. Also I would like to add that the prompt list is now up to seven including this one. Three Fire Emblem fics, two Pokespe fics, and two SAO fics. Enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

THOMAS' POV

"What's that supposed to be? A lousy fireworks show?" I complained, and popped a toffee in my mouth. There was a murmur of assent from the crowds until someone shrieked: "No, wait! Castle Ylisse is crumbling!" I looked up in shock. Not because the castle was exploding, but because my pursuers had returned.

"Stop! Thief! Ransacking rapscallion!" Yeesh, all this over a small sack of toffee. I immediately turned to run, only to encounter more guards on my other side. They had completely encircled me. Damn. I knew the jig was up. Slowly, I sheathed my sword and stuck my hands into the air.

One of the guards laughed triumphantly and bound my hands. "We finally caught ya, filthy cur. Chrom will deal with you well." Gulp. That didn't sound too good. The legends spoke of how Chrom was normally a compassionate man, but he had no mercy when it came to 'crime-committing rapscallions' like me.

We walked down the streets of Ylisse in an odd procession- me in the middle, bound by one of the guards while the rest walked in formation around us, as if I would try to escape. If I wanted to I could have wiped the floor with them and skedaddled.

However, that would just be one more tally on the 'Things Thomas Did Wrong' list. Finally, after hours of walking, (or at least it felt like hours) we reached the jail of Ylisstol. I was ushered inside to one of the bare cells, without even a bed, windows, or something to relieve myself in. "Chrom will be here soon to crack down the whip of justice upon your filthy back!"

"Yeesh, guy, I don't need the metaphors." That only seemed to tick the guard off and he walked away grumbling about the 'upstarts' that consisted of our generation. I sat there for Naga-knows how long before a young woman walked into the cell. I caught my breath. This girl was a real knockout- long dark blue hair held in check only by a gold headband, and dressed in a blue tunic- minus the hair and ah, chest, she could almost certainly pass for a man.

She sat down on the floor across from me. "Hello there." She said calmly. Gods, even her _voice _was beautiful. "Hi." I said dumbly. "Are you are of who I am?" she asked quizzically, tilting her head to the side, so that her luscious blue locks cascaded down her- Geez.

Wait, blue hair? "Could you be Lady Lucina?" I said, raising an eyebrow. The woman smiled wryly. "Indeed, I am. Now could I have your name?" I thought for a moment. After a minute, I decided it would be best to tell her my real name. "Thomas. Thomas from the house of nobody important." I said, cracking a joke.

Lucina chuckled for a brief second before her face hardened into a mask. "Anyway, I am here in place of my father. Are you aware of the state of the castle?" she said, rapidly. I nodded. "I heard somebody say it was exploding or whatever?"

Lucina nodded gravely. "Do you have _anything_ to do with that?" she said sharply. I shook my head. "No ma'am." I said truthfully. Lucina nodded and smiled briefly again. "Good. You are free to go Thomas." She said, and stood up. I was flabbergasted. "…Just like that?" I said, half expecting her to burst out laughing and say 'nope, get back in there you're serving a life sentence!'

However she sighed and shook her head. "With the state the castle is in, and the creatures appearing at the border, we have a lot more pressing matters than a candy thief." She said. I stood up and brushed the dirt and grime off my pants that had settled there since arriving in this dank cell.

"Thanks I owe you one… Blue." She frowned and tilted her head again. "Blue?" she queried. I laughed. "Well, I have a bad habit of instinctively giving people nicknames when I meet em'. I suppose I inherited that from my father."

She nodded. "Well, if you're going to take the effort to give me a nickname, I suppose I'll remember your name, Thomas. May we meet again under less pressing circumstances." And then she was gone. Man, she was beauty-full. I stepped out of the cell after her, and got a dirty look from one of the guards. "If you have a problem you could always bring it up with Milady Lucina." I said, trying my luck when I really shouldn't be at the moment.

The guard glared at me. "Just you wait, thief. We'll have you in jail the next time you steal faster than you can stuff one of those treats in your mouth." I stared into his eyes. They were a deep crimson, and kept shifting like a fire. I shivered and dashed out of the building into the night.

The air reeked of smoke now, and it lingered in the air like a haze. I quickly felt the way the wind was blowing (East) and turned that way. "Must be a forest fire." I muttered. I then shot to attention. "My candy stash! It'll be ruined! Candy isn't fire-resistant!"

I immediately ran down the winding streets once more, fueled by a burning (haha) desire to save my candy before it succumbed to the flames. I dashed outside the city gate and ran down the well-worn forest path. The smell of smoke was stronger now.

After a few minutes I tripped over what I thought was a root. I turned around and gaped. On the ground were two bodies, both with dark blue hair. One was male, one was female. They both looked unconscious, but they were retching in their sleep. Obviously they had breathed in too much smoke.

I could only save one. Was that even an option? With a grunt of effort (and adrenaline) I slung both bodies across my shoulder and turned back to Ylisstol.

**Jack's Corner**

I think everyone was wondering how Thomas met Lucina. Well here you go: one gift-wrapped backstory with a bow on top. Tomorrow, expect to see Serena and Alexis enter the fray!


	4. Chapter 4

SERENA'S POV

"Remind me to thank Severa later for lending me her mother's copy of _Make Him Fall For You In A Fortnight. _I said to Alexis, turning the page to _Chapter Sixteen: 35 Pickup Lines That Will Never Fail._

Alexis snorted. "Yeah, Ok. Cordelia's probably turning the house upside down looking for it." I chuckled politely. "By the way, did you here about that new castle that's being constructed down the road?" I asked in an effort to keep the conversation going. Alexis rolled her eyes. "Hardly a castle. Just a small fort. I heard some Valmese general is going to train mercenaries there.

I frowned. "Do you think it will be like the one father worked at before we were born?" I asked, worried. Alexis chortled. "No, Prince Chrom is breathing down the benefactor's neck _hard." _she said before adding, "Don't worry, it'll be fine. In fact, we might want to go."

I frowned. "B-but I can barely hold a weapon, let alone use one!" I protested. Alexis nodded. "Exactly. Which is why I already signed us both up." I gaped. "A-Alexis!" She smiled. "Get a good night's sleep- it starts tomorrow. I sighed.

I couldn't believe my sister sometimes.

The next morning, at 10:00 AM sharp, we were standing in a line with about a dozen other people from our village. A muscle-bound man was looking at us all. "All right," he said in a deep, booming voice that fitted him well. "Over the course of the month I will transform you from your sorry states into full-blown fighting machines!"

We all nodded. "Now, GET TO WORK!" He yelled. What a nice man.

However, despite his rough edges his training was flawless. Over the course of the next month I _did _transform- from the mild-mannered Serena who preferred reading over fighting to the mild-mannered Serena who preferred reading over fighting- but could wield an axe pretty well.

Of course, all things must eventually come to an end. The month had came and went rather quickly. "You fourteen had come here pathetic little whelps!" the man, whose name turned out to be Sikes, had said. "Now, you are all ready to set out into the world, weapon in hand, and face it confidently! Go out there and do this good ol' place proud!" he said, wiping his face complaining of an eyelash.

I must say, it was rather invigorating. Don't get me wrong; I am not suddenly a muscle-bound she-devil. However I was a lot stronger. I could run over a mile without panting, and could throw a tomahawk without to much strain. I also wasn't a pushover in hand-to-hand either. But inside I was still small, and only I could fix that.

"I must say I expected you to bail out on the third day or so." Alexis said, hefting her sword over her shoulder casually. "Gee, thanks Alexis." I said, not really concentrating. "Why do you think Sikes made that place, anyway?" Alexis frowned. "To train mercenaries, duh." I pondered that for a moment. "Yeah, but that's not really a good reason. He didn't even turn a profit; if anything he lost money from all the training equipment that broke."

Alexis shrugged- obviously she didn't care one way or another. "Maybe its funded by Ylisse or something; there's a rumor circulating about some creature that's been popping up all over the realms." I tilted my head and waved my hand for her to elaborate.

"Well," Alexis said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Apparently the woods near Castle Ylisse caught fire a few nights ago, and the fire even spread into Ylisstol itself. The people describe huge explosions and that the castle itself was partially destroyed."

I gasped. "No way! How didn't I hear about that?" Alexis smirked. "Maybe if you didn't have your nose in _Make Him Fall For You In A Fortnight _all day and all night you'd be updated on current events. Like this one: 99% of the time those 35 pickup lines will not work."

"Ouch. We'll see when I am happily married to a rich noble while you'll be living with a dozen cats!" I said, and we both laughed. That is, until the explosions started.

We both whirled around in the direction of the noise. "You don't think they're targeting the…" Alexis began, but the rest of her words were drowned out by more explosions. "And we're off!" Alexis yelled, and turned around and dashed back towards the training camp.

It was a battlefield. The ramparts were missing large pieces, if they were still intact at all. The Ylissean banners that lined the walls were in flames and so was the bush around us. I hurriedly pulled my axe from its strap on my back and dropped into a defensive stance, my eyes darting from left to right.

Alexis studied the destruction. "I would think bandits." She said slowly. "The explosions were probably from the oil kept inside; so the attackers probably just lit a torch. Either that or this is an accident." I looked at the ground; blood was spattered everywhere at odd intervals.

"This is no accident." I confirmed.

"Dam right it wasn't, girly." A deep voice from behind me whispered. I quickly turned to see a stout man with a sword pointed directly at my throat. "Not one move or I will kill you." He said threateningly. I didn't doubt him, the blade was resting on my throat.

I glanced over at Alexis. The man cackled. "You may kill me but I'm definitely faster then some upstart like you." He said quietly. Alexis' gaze dropped to the man's arm. I watched as Alexis swung her sword and sliced the man's hand clean off. Lovely.

He gasped and ran for the door. "Serena! Hit him!" Alexis yelled. I nodded and hefted my tomahawk. I threw it, the axe rotating in the air before hitting him in the back.

"Ready for the final exam?" I said grimly. Alexis nodded. "Let's go."

**Jack's Corner**

I'm sorry but Serena didn't jump out at me as the kind of person to instantly be battle ready like everyone else! And instead of Risen, they get bandits! Hooray! I wanted at least one group of bandits before, you know, they died at the hands of the Wings of Despair. Heh.


End file.
